Every Day at Five
by writingandchocolatemilk
Summary: Feliciano is a prostitute. Every day, he waits by a stop sign and sees a Ludwig- a successful business man- walk to his car from work. Can Feliciano and Ludwig live happily ever after, or will tragedy keep the young lovers apart? AU, Language, Adult Content
1. Chapter One

Feliciano stirred, listening to the other in his room move about, picking up clothing and muttering to himself. Feliciano didn't like talking to customers that stayed overnight; the conversations tended to be awkward and the man who had muttered sweet nothings in Feliciano's ear the night before tended to be upset and even slightly hostile to Feliciano in the morning. It was better for Feliciano to believe that the man was still in love with him, if only for the first few minutes Feliciano woke up.

The man cautiously approached Feliciano and touched his shoulder, bringing Feliciano out of his thoughts. "Ah—please wake up. Who do I give my money to? It's a check so I… Could you sit up?" The man snapped when Feliciano remained laying down.

Feliciano sat up immediately; face heating up slightly in embarrassment. He should have known to sit up. "Y-yeah~! You'll see this pretty lady with long brown hair cooking, give it to her. You don't have to give her your name, just mine and the check."

The man nodded, blinking. "Okay… Okay. I'll tell her I slept with…" He waved his hand toward Feliciano, who quickly responded.

"Feliciano, Roger. Feliciano." He shot Roger a tired smile, immensely disappointed Roger didn't remember his name. Currently, the man had spent the night with Feliciano five times, and every morning the man forgot Feliciano's name.

Roger nodded, buttoning up his shirt. "Yep. Yep—Felish—Feli. Sorry." He left, leaving Feliciano fully awake and lonely. Sometimes Roger talked more, about his wife and kids, and Feliciano would nod eagerly. Now, though, Feliciano just felt sad and angry at Roger for screwing him and leaving. It wasn't even a reasonable time to wake Feliciano up at.

Feliciano sighed, shook his head and stood up, cracking his back. Oh, how Feliciano's back ached. He sighed and threw his clothes in the hamper. Feliciano quickly grabbed his clothes for the day and headed to the bathroom across the hall from his room, #7. Although Feliciano was the one of the first ones up, Elizabeta would be using hot water, and he didn't want to use it all up.

Feliciano pulled on a tank top, sweatshirt and short-shorts and examined himself in the mirror. He frowned, tugging at the stray curl on the left side of his head before quickly brushing his teeth and heading down stairs to help Elizabeta in the kitchen.

Alicia's House of Pleasure, Feliciano current place of residence, was quite simply, a brothel. It was located on 57 School Street, right outside the business part of the city. The establishment started out as a simple bed a breakfast place, but as time wore on and the town around it became seedier and the bills became harder to pay, Alicia's House of Pleasure began offering prostitutes to draw people in. While all the other businesses closed, Alicia's House of Pleasure remained a permanent inhabitant of School Street.

Some prostitutes, like Feliciano, had to go out during the day to find customers to make money. Three others were allowed to stay in the restaurant part of Alicia's House and serve the day time meals to patrons. While originally the plan was to alternate who got to go out and who got to make food, Alicia decided that that certain prostitutes were more capable of running the business than others. Feliciano was saddened at the decision; he liked cooking.

When Feliciano arrived in the kitchen, Elizabeta was busy making pancakes for the other members of Alicia's House. Elizabeta was one of the three who got to stay and work at Alicia's House during the day, as she was the best cook out of everybody—even Feliciano. She was one of the hardest workers Feliciano knew, and personally, Feliciano thought she cooked faster and better than any Iron Chef. Feliciano knew very little of how Elizabeta ended up in Alicia's House, but Feliciano hoped she could leave it; she deserved better.

When Elizabeta noticed Feliciano, she grinned. "Feli~! Good morning. I see you woke up early. You might as well help me make pancakes. One of the burners is open, and I'm distracted preparing for food later today. Make—ah—blueberry, please." Feliciano was all too happy to oblige.

While preparing, Feliciano talked amicably to Elizabeta, enjoying one of the few times he got to spend alone with her. She took care of everyone, and she was so motherly and caring that soon Feliciano found himself talking about Roger to her.

"When he goes to sleep, he seems like he likes me so much, but then in the morning I'm a stranger!" Feliciano let out a huff, before glancing guiltily up at Elizabeta, who was piling pancakes onto a platter. "But who I'm I to complain to you…?"

Elizabeta frowned and turned her back on Feliciano for a moment, placing the platter of pancakes onto the table at the far end of the kitchen. While she thought, Feliciano glanced at the kitchen. It was impeccably clean, for belonging to a one star restaurant and brothel…

"Feli!" Elizabeta finally exclaimed, turning to face the startled boy. "Roger is a rotten piece of scum. He comes looking for a—a—poor boy to take his needs out on. Feli…" She walked over to him, placing a warm hand on his cheek. "Please, don't get attached. You know how that goes…" Elizabeta bit her cheek. "How Alicia deals with that…"

Feliciano let out a small smile. "I'll try not. Thank you, 'Liza. You're such a good person…"

Elizabeta rolled her eyes and got back to cooking. "You're going to make me cry." Although Feliciano thought she meant to say that with sarcasm, he detected a faint tremor in her voice... "Go upstairs and wake the rest of the lazy bastards up. They're not going to have time to eat unless they get a move on. God knows how long Yao takes to get his hair done…"

Feliciano nodded and bounded upstairs. He knocked on room #1, which was Yao's room. "Yao~" Feliciano sang. "Are you up? Elizabeta made pancakes, and she'll be _super_-de-_duper_ angry if you don't head down stairs. You've missed breakfast for the past few days…"

Yao opened the door, peering out at Feliciano. "Feliciano, I'm coming. I've just had trouble sleeping for the past few days, so it's been harder getting up… Really, I am. Go wake the others." He shut the door quickly, leaving a concerned Feliciano on the other side.

Yao had been acting weird for the past couple of days. He had been coming back to Alicia's House late, not bringing back as much money and skipping meals. Whenever Feliciano tried to pester Yao about what he was worried about, Yao would just refuse to speak until Feliciano changed the subject. Feliciano sighed; he would open up eventually…

Feliciano skipped room #3, as Kiku was already downstairs in the main part of Alicia's House, setting up silverware and rearranging the flowers. Kiku was the second person allowed to stay in Alicia's House during the day. He tended to the general upkeep of the establishment, such as laundry and cleaning, as well as helping out Elizabeta in the kitchen or taking orders during the lunch crowd. Instead, Feliciano bypassed Elizabeta's room #2 to room #4.

Feliciano knocked on the door, rolling his eyes at the silly American flag taped hastily yet proudly at eye level. Really, sometimes Alfred's patriotic spirit was quite foolish... especially on the Fourth of July. Feliciano shivered just remembering the last Independence Day.

The hurried call of:

"Oh—hold on! I'm just trying to find my—" Bang "Damn it—glasses. Be down in a—" Crash "My vase—second!" Assured Feliciano that Alfred was indeed up.

Alfred was the last person allowed to stay and help Alicia's House during the day. He waited on the tables and brought the food out, not to mention flirted with everyone to get extra tips. However, Feliciano knew that Alfred was essentially the guard of the building while the others were away. If any thugs came knocking, Alfred would knock them right back.

Feliciano shook his head and skipped off, internally telling himself off for daydreaming so much today. He knocked on room #6, waiting patiently for the occupant to answer. Torris looked out nervously at Feliciano, and then smiled. "Sorry, Feli. Feliks is taking especially long to pick out his outfit today. We'll be down in a moment." He shut the door, and Feliciano heard the impatient chastising of Torris, directed at poor Feliks.

Feliciano didn't know much about either of the two that shared room #6. Feliks had been in Alicia's house for at least as long as Feliciano had. Originally, he was always daydreaming, or talking on the landline to someone. Then, one day a week or so ago, Feliks showed up with Torris, a sorry looking prostitute from another brothel with a black eye and a limp. Since then, Feliks had been the most talkative and lively Feliciano had ever seen him in all the years of living together. Feliciano hoped Torris stayed and continued to accompany Feliks every day; whatever the two did made Feliks happy, which in turn made Feliciano happy for the two of them.

Letting a small smile cross his face, Feliciano walked over to the last room: room #5. He cautiously knocked on the door and opened it a crack, peering into the surprisingly neat room. There was a reason Feliciano left this room for last. He sighed and dawdled at the door. Behind Feliciano, Alfred sneaked up next to the shorter boy, looking in as well.

"Best do it fast. I got up to pee and I heard him up at—oh geez—_five? _Four?" Alfred rubbed the back of his neck. "Letting him sleep any longer would only throw him all out of sorts. Gooo, Feli. Nowwwww." Alfred playfully shoved Feliciano.

Feliciano laughed, trying to smother his laugh. "No. He'll just be angry with me." He mellowed out, frowning. "Plus, I he had a rough day, yesterday. Some creep came up to him and just stared at him for a while."

Alfred rolled his eyes, stood up to his full height and kicked to door open. It swung and smashed against the wall. Feliciano, aghast, turned to berate Alfred only to find he had run off down stairs, leaving poor Feliciano looking like the culprit.

Inside, there was a growl. "So help me, Feliciano, if I sit up and you're still there…" A form sat up in the bed, rubbing his eyes.

Feliciano panicked and held his hands up. "No! Lovino it was _Alfred_!" He wailed, shaking his head. "I would never wake you up like that! Please don't head-butt me! Last time you did I got an awful bruise and Elizabeta said I had to take it easy and—oh Lovi forgive me!"

"Feli." Feliciano looked hopefully into the room, blinking away tears that he had created due to his panic. "Shut. The. _Hell_. Up. I forgive you. Now let me get ready, please." Lovino stood up and walked over to the door, gracing Feliciano with a small smile. "I won't head-butt you again. I promise."

Feliciano grinned and tackle-hugged his older brother. "Oh, thank you! I'm sorry Alfred woke you up do bad!"

Lovino blushed and pushed Feliciano away. "Get off of me, you hugging—hugging…"

Feliciano smiled. "Buffoon?" He suggested.

Lovino rubbed his temples. "I'm too tired for this shit. I'll be down in a minute. Tell Elizabeta not to get her panties in a knot, either, if I take _longer_ than a minute. She's so god damned _precise._"

Feliciano nodded and skipped downstairs, happy his brother woke up in a good mood. Usually it was Feliciano who was happy to wake up, and it was Lovino who never wanted to go to sleep… Until he _did_ go to sleep, in which case, then he wanted to never wake up. What a strange night creature his brother was, Feliciano thought as he arrived in the kitchen.

Everyone who Feliciano had woken up beforehand was eating pancakes and talking loudly, Elizabeta taking a break from cooking and enjoying her breakfast as well. Feliciano bounced over and took his seat next to her, grabbing a blueberry pancake and drenching it in syrup. He listened to the conversation around the table as he ate, laughing at what was being said.

"So, I said to him, 'Well, I don't think that's very nice to say to this lil' darling, here. I want you to apologize 'n—'" Alfred boasted loudly, before being cut off by Yao.

"I was there! You didn't say that at all to the guy, he was twice your size and double your weight. You would have never remotely said such a thing… And you certainly didn't have a southern accent! Don't lie to make yourself look better—"

"Yeah, we already know too much to be influenced by you." Feliks said, leaning on Torris and snickering. He mock shuddered. "So, so much…"

The table burst into laughter and Alfred tried to recover from being insulted. At that time, Lovino marched angrily down stairs and sat across from Feliciano, scavenging for the remaining pancakes. Elizabeta gazed warily at Lovino, frowning. "What time did you stay up until _now_?"

Lovino's face heated up, and he glared at Elizabeta. "If you must know, _Mom_, None-of-your-fucking-business AM. Sorry if that's late." He deadpanned and tilted his head to the side. "Ah. The boss is here. Nine'o clock on the dot." Lovino sank back into his chair, scowling.

The whole table instantly quieted down, listening to the approaching pair of footsteps. The kitchen doors swung open, revealing Alicia herself and Chez, who was standing a few feet behind. Alicia rarely showed up herself, usually preferring to send Chez to attend to the business of the day. Obviously, she had something important to say, or she would never mingle with the actual staff of Alicia's House.

Alicia's cold blue eyes scanned over the table, making eye contact with everyone. Her gaze finally settled on Yao, who stiffened. "Yao. How are you?" She asked, tilting her head ever so slightly so she looked down on him. Intimidating him, Feliciano thought unhappily.

Yao broke eye contact, tugging on his pony tail. "Fine, thanks. How… how are you?" Feliciano's heart went out to Yao; it was never a good sign when Alicia singled you out. It meant something was going to happen. Whether it was good or bad, Feliciano had no idea.

Alicia nodded, and then glanced at Torris. "Torris." She nodded, before turning on her heal and walking out of the kitchen and to the front doors. Alicia left her business deathly quiet, the air thick with uncertainty. Only five words, Feliciano thought, and Alicia had managed to scare everyone stiff.

Chez, the polar opposite of Alicia with warm, expressive eyes coughed politely. "She just wanted to see how everyone was faring…" He said mildly, smiling faintly.

Lovino was the first to snap under pressure by lashing out. "Bull _shit_. She never comes in here, unless she plans on doing something. What's she planning to do with Yao, hmm? Or Torris?" His voice bordered on hysterical. "Or someone _else_? Feli, perhaps?"

Elizabeta's eyes widened and she turned to look at Lovino. "Calm down. You're over reacting. You heard Chez, she was just here to… to… to make sure we were doing alright." She turned her gaze to the rest of the table and smiled, though it didn't reach her eyes. "Come now, we're running behind! It's time to go." She stood, and walked toward the stove.

Slowly, the rest of the room stirred. Chez went to go sit down in the main part of Alicia's House—to keep an eye on things—while Feliciano was the second one to hop up from the table. "She's right!" He chirped, tugging Lovino up as well. "We can't sit around here all day!"

There was a murmur of consent as the rest of the table stood. Lovino finished the sentence that hanging in the air. "Besides." He mumbled, "We don't want her coming back if we did…"


	2. Chapter Two

Feliciano was waiting outside Alicia's House for Yao, who was grabbing a warmer sweatshirt. Feliks and Toris had already headed off down town to the mall, where Feliks picked up customers and window shopped with Toris. Lovino stood nearby, stalling going to his designated place to pick up customers to be with his little brother. He was especially cranky today, Feliciano noticed.

"Ve~ Lovi, why are you so gloomy today?" Feliciano bounced up to his older brother, rubbing against him in a way that was reminiscent with a cat, complete with a little 'mew' of affection. Feliciano hope to cheer up Lovino, but only added to his brother's irritation.

He pushed Feliciano away, hissing. "I'm working in cars today. It gets more clients." Feliciano instantly fell quiet, gazing sadly at his brother.

Offering customers services in back alleys had it's perks in the way that a prostitute could call for help if the client decided to get a little too rough with his whore. However, it drove most people off; they didn't want to do _it_ in a filthy alley. There was a simple way around this, of course. Offer your services in a car, apartment or house. The dangers increased tenfold, but you could charge double. Everybody who worked the streets at Alicia's House only offered back alley jobs… Accept for Lovino. No matter how many times Feliciano begged and begged for his brother not to drive off with strangers, Lovi never listened.

"Do… Do you have to?" Feliciano didn't keep the fear out of his voice; he didn't want to. He was so, so afraid one day Lovino wouldn't come back. That he'd leave Feliciano alone, and that they'd never open their restaurant, and one day Feliciano would get a call, asking him to come in and identify a…

"—Eli! Feli! Damn it, _stop worrying_. I'll be fine." Feliciano realized Lovino was gently shaking him, snapping Feli out of his imaginings. "I managed to convince Chez to let me have the cell phone for the day. If anything happens, I'll call. I promise." Feliciano blinked back tears, rubbing his eyes. He cried so easily…

That was the thing with Lovino, though. When he promised something to Feliciano, he never broke it. Even if it was stupid to promise something Lovino had no control over— his life in someone else's hands—Feliciano was abated. Feliciano sighed and nodded, rubbing his arms quickly. "As long as you promise…"

Yao reappeared from inside, wearing a new red sweatshirt proudly. Lovino instantly turned on his heels and headed down School Street, not even saying good bye to his little brother. Feliciano sighed, smiling slightly. Lovino never showed weakness, or kindness, to anyone other than Feli. Feliciano sometimes wondered if Lovino ever really connected with anyone else in Alicia's House, and not just Feliciano. Feliciano wanted Lovino to have friends, to let loose and just have fun, and not worry about anyone else judging him. It must be very stressful for Lovino, always having to act so… so _tough_.

Feliciano could remember a time, way back in Italy, when he was five, of Lovino being happy. Sure, he was still grumpy, and had a _serious_ potty mouth for a six year old, but Feliciano had vivid memories of Lovino laughing. Feliciano sometimes dreamed that the car crash had never happened, and Mama and Papa hadn't died. Lovino was happy; Feliciano still spoke Italian and they lived happily on Vineyard Vargas, though, it was much less a vineyard and more like a regular house with two grape vines in the back.

But, Feliciano countered his melancholy thoughts, if Mama and Papa had never died, the brothers would have never been flown over to America; to Grandpa Roma. Those were happy times too, though Lovino already acted a bit like his current self. He cussed and didn't have many friends, but when he, Feli and Nonno gathered around the dinner table, Lovino still laughed. Feliciano couldn't remember the last time he had heard Lovino laugh at Alicia's House…

When Grandpa Roma died, and Feliciano and Lovino used up the last of their Grandfather's money on the private school they attended and were booted to foster care, Lovino stopped laughing permanently. He became furious all the time, and it took all of Feliciano's care and attention to keep his brother from lashing out at their 'parents.' Feliciano's life became unstable; he and his brother moved from family to family, Lovino went from screaming angrily to pouting moodily and all of Feliciano's friends left him alone. That year was the worst of Feliciano's life. Then, one day, someone came looking for Feliciano.

Whoever he was, Feliciano only ever learned his nick name; Ice. He had white hair that was died black at the tips—or white at the roots, Feliciano could never tell. Ice came to the brothers and offered them a small envelope… with money. Ice said he could get the brother's more… if he came with them. Lovino was instantly hooked —he hated the foster families and the life style, and Ice offered him a way out; he couldn't turn it down. Feliciano just didn't want to be left behind. He packed his and Lovino's bags, and followed his brother out into the unknown with Ice.

It was Lovino who fell for Ice, fell for his sneaky words and sly smile. Feliciano didn't even really notice it; just that everything was a lot better. Lovino didn't laugh, but he smiled; it was an improvement, in Feliciano's eyes. So, when Lovino started to disappear at nights, Feliciano hardly noticed it. Lovino was always back by morning, tired, yes, but back. When Ice asked Feliciano to join him and Lovino on one of their night escapades, Feliciano happily joined them. When Ice met with a sinister man and money was exchanged, Feliciano babbled on with Lovino, who was looking worriedly at Ice. When the sinister man took Feliciano away to a motel, Feliciano was worried as well.

What transpired next was simply a blur of pain and confusion, sealed with a final thrust and choking sob from Feliciano. He wasn't sure how long he stayed curled up, tears streaking down his face, wondering _why_? Everything had been going so well… But, maybe this is what Lovino had been doing… Maybe things weren't so well. Maybe Ice wasn't such a good guy after all. Certainly when Ice came striding in after and handed Feliciano a small wad of cash, Feliciano felt such complete _hatred_ toward the man that whatever goodness Feliciano had seen in Ice dissolved.

It became clear to Feliciano that Ice was using both him and Lovino. He housed them to sell their bodies, and to keep a tight leash. But that was the price of a roof over the brother's heads. Lovi, though, seemed happy at the service he provided. After all, it was for Ice. Ice who had offered them a home, Ice who helped them make money, Ice who had made _harlots_ out of the brothers… Ice who said he loved Lovino with all his heart and that prostituting himself showed Ice how much Lovino _cared_.

Feliciano stayed because he was afraid how much more Lovino would commit if Feli left. How much farther Lovino would slide under Ice's influence… It took Lovino to walk in on Ice loving someone _else_ for him to realize how evil Ice was. The same day, Feliciano and Lovino packed their bags and left. Out of the frying pan and into the fire; the brothers found Alicia's House of Pleasure, and never left since.

Still, Feliciano had made friends. He was happier here than he had ever been after meeting Ice. Lovino's heart was broken, and Feliciano never felt good enough for his clients, but Alicia's House had provided them with, in a sense, a family. Feliciano looked over to Yao and smiled.

The pair were walking down School Street, heading toward the upper-middle class part of town. School Street met at an intersection with Main Street, essentially dividing the poor part of town with the average or wealthy citizen. The ram shackle apartment buildings or boarded up stores slowly evolved into actual store fronts, with a cute house scattered here and there. Feliciano slowly grew more cheerful, forgetting his past and getting caught up in the happier part of town.

"I think, that if I were ever to own a store, it would look exactly like that." Feliciano pointed at an ice-cream shop, and then looked at Yao. "It'd have bright colors all over, with tables out front so people could eat outside. There'd be flowers, too. Everywhere~" Feliciano laughed, skipping ahead of Yao slightly.

Yao glanced at the ice-cream shop, then up at the dull, autumn sky. It looked like it might rain later… "It's a bit late in the year to still be selling ice-cream. It's gotten so… Aru, cold. I would think people would avoid it, no?" Feliciano frowned and glanced at the store.

"If I ever go inside, Yao, I'll be sure to ask what else they could possibly serve to keep bringing people in. Maybe… Ve! Hot chocolate!" Feliciano turned to face Yao, grinning. "I remember seeing a couple leaving with steaming mugs the other day! They must serve hot chocolate!"

Yao looked thoughtfully at the store before shrugging and continuing to walk. Feliciano followed behind, watching as the distant Main Street became closer and closer with every step. The sky scrapers loomed over the pair, and soon, they halted at a stop sign… Feliciano's stop sign.

Each prostitute at Alicia's House had a special place where they stood to offer their services. The stop sign was Feliciano's marker, while Yao had a park bench somewhere inside the bustling city. This is where Yao left Feliciano alone, and Feliciano had to start his day's work. How Feliciano grew to hate that stop sign. Yao waved and gave Feliciano a small smile before heading off into the city, leaving Feliciano behind.

Feliciano watched Yao disappear into the crowd of commuters before sighing and leaning against his stop sign. Eventually, Feliciano found himself standing on tippy-toes, looking across the street at the stream of workers heading into the city. Everyday this happened; Feliciano would be left with free time before clients came, and so Feliciano's mind had gone ahead and given Feli a game to play. The rules were simple, all Feliciano had to do was catch sight of a number of daily commuters. There was a number Feliciano tried to target each day, and if he succeeded he usually treated himself to a cookie at a bakery.

Feliciano counted on his fingers each commuter he found. The Purple Lady—a woman dressed entirely in purple—blundered into a coffee shop for her daily dose of caffeine and muffin. Purple Lady only showed up every other day of the week, and Feliciano wondered what job she could possibly work at that had such a strange schedule. Feli also caught sight of Hat Man—an elderly gentleman that walked to work every day with a top hat on. An extremely tall top hat, that Feliciano found extremely funny. He continued to find more commuters, grinning at their absurd outfits. Feliciano was surprised by what he caught people wearing when he stood by his stop sign and just… waited.

However, the hour slipped away and the stream of workers died down, leaving Feliciano one person short from achieving his goal of buying a cookie. Feliciano sighed, glancing around him until he caught sight of a jittery man approaching. Instantly, he perked up and smiled at the man, who only glared coldly at him.

"Oi. I-I want… I need… _God_, h-how much?" The man asked, shooting Feliciano a hostile glare. "You don't have any STD's, do you? You little—" Feliciano knew _his_ type. Jittery Man was one of those who hated the thought of being gay but needed someone just like Feli to entertain him. Feliciano felt embarrassed, that _he_ was the one who Jittery Man hated and wanted, and despised _because_ he wanted Feli.

Feliciano fiddled with his hands, avoiding Jittery Man's glare. "Ah—fifty… And I don't have any diseases." Feliciano heard the man rummage for some money, then quickly accepted the cash and tucked it into his sleeve. Feliciano quickly led the man away to a deserted alley, shame bubbling in his stomach.

The rest of the day passed much of the same way. Men—occasionally women—would come, ask him how much in either an affectionate, angry or monotone voice, Feliciano would tell them then lead them to the alley. Finally—_finally_—five rolled around on Feliciano's watch. Five was the official time prostitution duties were over and Feliciano could head home. This was one of the official rules that Alicia had set in place. Of course, anyone could stay later, but they better have the money to show exactly where they were.

Feliciano was certainly not going to stay after, and as soon as Yao returned from his spot in the city, Feliciano was high tailing it back to Alicia's House to make sure his brother was alright and to help Elizabeta out in the kitchen. However, in the meantime Feliciano spent time playing round two of find the commuter. Feliciano, personally, loved the second round so much more than the one in the morning.

Standing on tippy-toes, Feliciano finally caught sight of his favorite commuter. The man was tall, with broad shoulders and a professional air around him. He wore a crisp suit and tie, and carried a briefcase with him wherever he went. He always walked to his car from work, always at five in the evening, and Feliciano never failed to catch sight of him. This: was Bob.

Well, technically, Feliciano didn't know Bob's real name. However, Suit Man seemed impersonal, so Feliciano decided on the most generic name for his favorite commuter. As irrational as it was, Feliciano often wondered if the man's name actually _was_ Bob. A couple of times, Feliciano had almost walked over and asked Bob his real name, just to see if he was a mind reader. But… something always held Feliciano back.

Feliciano had long since figured it out; Bob was a _businessman_. What was Feliciano? Scum. Nothing. Worthless. The reasons Bob would socialize with the likes of Feliciano were practically nonexistent, so Feliciano found himself never walking over there and _making_ a reason. It was like a plagued rat trying to make friends with a king. It didn't happen. It wouldn't.

But still, Feliciano craned his neck and watched Bob as he walked, smiling at the stream of pedestrians who parted to allow the menacing man through. And then, blue eyes flicked over to Feliciano's, and Bob slowed in his pace. He was looking at Feliciano, Feliciano in his dirty sweatshirt and short-shorts, and he wasn't… turning… away. He didn't look disgusted or lustful just… just curious.

Feliciano broke eye contact quickly, looking down at the ground. No… Feliciano mustn't get his hopes up. Bob and Feliciano would never meet. It was just too…

Feliciano looked up, searching for Bob. However, he had moved on, leaving Feliciano wondering what exactly Bob had been thinking.

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><p><strong>*Waves*<strong>

**Hia! Revised chapter two! Lovely, eh? *Ugh* I'm sorry if it seems... _rushed_. This chapter was like a... road block. I had so many fun ideas for the next chapter, but... but this chapter. o_e  
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**~~Anyways There are many side stories in this story. So... many pairings. But I don't want to jam them in with the main GerIta plot. So, each chapter I will set up a poll on my profile for omake that was related to the previous chapter. I will then write a small chapter in that character's POV. :D Some of it may be pairings, some of it may just be events that were going on in the chapter.  
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**In short, VOTE ON THE POLL~~ ;)  
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**Seventy-one reviews... and over four thosand views... I love you guys! Thanks EVERYONE for reviewing! You all get cookies! And to everyone else stalking... You guys rock too! :D Filling up my e-mail with your guys' love... 3  
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**Anyways, review and get treats!  
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**Ps. I will be gone in South Carolina for a few days, so as soon as I can I will get to work on the omake~ (Sorry for long A/N!)  
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	3. Chapter Three

Ludwig really liked his office. His older brother Gilbert always complained that Ludwig's office was _too_ orderly, and that whenever he marched in through Ludwig's door he felt like he was going to knock something over or upset one of the stacks of paper. He usually ignored his brother however, preferring to keep his office neat and orderly, if anything a bit cramped. Besides, even if Ludwig had to fight and file to make everything in his office fit, he didn't think he could live being holed away in a bigger, yet windowless office.

When Ludwig had been promoted to Senior Manager of the finance firm _Vogel Banking_, he had been given access to any number of luxury offices. However, the small work space on the top floor of the company had caught his interest. After all, it was in the corner of the building, and Ludwig had two giant windows, allowing him to look down onto the street below. Ludwig had jumped at the chance to work every day with the sunlight streaming into his workspace, and the option of not using the harsh florescent lights to read by. Of course, Ludwig's corner office faced south, so he never _really_ had the sunlight, but he didn't let that bug him.

Currently, Ludwig had just finished his lunch break and was trying to figure out if a big transaction had the makings of a fraud, as it didn't seem to fit with the account's usual flow of money when his brother decided to barge into his office, talking loudly on his phone.

"What do you _mean_ I can't have two phone numbers? Is it against the law for me to filter away work calls and private calls? Last time I checked—oh, wait a second, I have to make more money than you will in the next year in five minutes, so you'll have to excuse me if I don't listen to your accusations. Yeah, uh huh, bye." Gilbert hung up his phone, rolling his eyes and flopping down in one of the chairs in front of Ludwig's desk. "Honestly, some people. I wish they'd be as awesome as me, so they'd see that…"

Ludwig blocked out the rest of Gilbert's sentence, focusing instead on the recent flow of money into the account. Ludwig had long since perfected the art of appearing to listen to Gilbert's ramblings, fine tuning his ears to pick up and mutter 'I see' in the appropriate lulls in the conversation. He almost missed the importance of Gilbert's most recent speech about one of his friends.

"… So then Francis invited me to this brothel or House of the Rising Sun—some place like that. Told me I just _had_ to come, because the place was just so to my tastes—or more like his, the pervert—so I won't be able to help you with any of that paperwork tonight. I'll totally make it up to you, though, okay?" Gilbert paused, and Ludwig nodded obediently.

"I see. Yeah, that's—Wait." Ludwig rewound the last five minutes of Gilbert's talking. He glared up at his older brother, scowling. "You can't just take off to a—a—whore house and leave me to take care of all the paperwork again! You always do this, and you always say you'll make it up to me. You never do, Gilbert!" Ludwig rubbed his temples, forgetting the problem with the account. "And you work for an influential and _scrutinized_ bank; you just can't go frolic with delinquents because Francis and Antonio do! You'll get a tabloid story."

Gilbert huffed and crossed his arms, sinking down into his chair. His suit wrinkled, and Ludwig noted that with distain, because _he_ would have to be the one to iron out Gilbert's suit. Ludwig frowned at his brother. "Another, tabloid story…"

Gilbert threw his hands in the air. "Sue me if I like to have fun! Everyone influential gets a tabloid story. I mean, just last week _our_ CEO hired a call girl—at least according to Way TMI's article!"

Ludwig laughed at that, despite the argument. Sometimes his brother could be so dopey… "That was his step-daughter; who _you_ tried to flirt with. You almost ended up getting fired. Someone always finds an interesting story, and you're a favorite in the magazines."

Ludwig studied his brother, somehow knowing that despite the risks of going to some whore house or another, Gilbert would still triumphantly and defiantly make his way there, making a fool of himself with his friends. Gilbert just sat across from him, staring back evenly. There was a momentary standoff, each unwilling to back down. Eventually, Ludwig broke eye contact, sighing and massaging his temples.

"You know what? Fine. But you have to do the dishes for a month."

Gilbert nodded. "Done."

"And you can't arrive in your new and expensive car, take Antonio's." Ludwig saw Gilbert wince, and for a moment Ludwig felt bad for poking fun at the Spaniard's lack of funds. He shook off the feeling, however and continued with his lecture. "And _don't_ go around telling people where you work. And no one night stands; not after last time and the girl stole your entire—"

Gilbert groaned, tipping back his chair. "Don't remind me of that incident. You promised me you wouldn't." He let his chair fall down with a loud 'thump,' and smirked at Ludwig. "And I agree with the terms and conditions of having _fun_. I swear you need more reassuring than a girl." Gilbert stood, and Ludwig saw two phones clipped to the albino's belt.

"You really should turn your work phone on…" Ludwig muttered grumpily, turning back to his stack of papers.

Gilbert laughed and headed out of Ludwig's office, pausing at the doorway. "Oh, Braginski is coming at three to discuss some transfers. And then you have Rosery coming in, I think. I don't know when, because she was mumbling on the phone and wouldn't speak clearly." Gilbert waved his goodbye and shut the door, leaving Ludwig to look over memos.

After lunch, Ludwig tended to get side tracked. He didn't mean to, but the food in his stomach and the endless paperwork offered the perfect opportunity for Ludwig's mind to wander. And, as always, Ludwig drifted back to the topic that had been bugging him for a few weeks now.

Three weeks ago, Ludwig had been walking to his car after work when he happened to look across Main Street and catch sight of someone standing at the stop sign there. Ludwig had only caught a quick glimpse at the person, but from what he could see the man was wearing a very baggy sweatshirt and no pants at all. Ludwig had been miffed because the weather had just taken on the autumn chill, so wearing no pants was obviously strange. Well, wearing no pants at all tended to be strange, but still.

The next day as Ludwig left from work, he looked for the strange man again. With a closer examination, Ludwig realized with some relief that the man was in fact just wearing very short shorts, and that the sweatshirt hid the pants. Ludwig also noticed the man had a striking shade of auburn hair. Ludwig was faintly reminded of the shade certain oak leaves turned in autumn, and this led Ludwig to searching for the man every day, comparing his hair to the leaves in the city. Ludwig had yet to find a color to rival the man's hair.

Ludwig's thought always shifted to auburn-haired man when he wasn't focused on a task. He couldn't help be fascinated; Ludwig could very well guess what the man did for a profession, but it was a first for him to actually be curious of how someone ended up servicing perverted men. A few days ago, Ludwig had even entertained the idea of going over to talk to—

"Excuse me, Mr. Beilschmidt?" Ludwig snapped out of his thoughts, feeling slightly embarrassed for being caught day dreaming. The man in front of him was intimidating, around six feet tall with broad shoulders and a barrel chest. He was dressed in a respectable suit, though the scarf clashed. Mr. Braginski smiled and sat down in front of Ludwig, looking to big in his small office. "Sorry to disturb you! I'm Ivan Braginski. I visited last week, and came to further discuss my transactions with you." He laughed lightly.

"O-Of course! I'm Ludwig Beilschmidt." Ludwig noticed with some curiosity that Ivan had purple irises. Ludwig had once read up on albinism—thanks to Gilbert's insistence—and learned that albinos can, in some instances, have purple eyes along with the more regular red. Although Ivan was blonde, he didn't seem pale enough to be albino. Contacts, perhaps; though Ivan didn't look like the type to wear them. "You'd like to transfer…?"

Ivan looked up sharply, the small smile sharpening. "Oh yes." He reached inside his suit and brought out a manila folder, placing in on Ludwig's desk. "Last week the person I talked to finished up most of the account work, I just had to get a few signatures." His smile fell a bit. "Though, your agent was distrustful of the large amount of money I was transferring. I had to set up this unnecessary meeting for you to sign off on everything." Ivan's eyes hardened. "It set back some personal business."

Ludwig met Ivan's stare evenly, furrowing his eyebrows. "It's just protocol. I'm sorry, but you should be familiar with our bank's rules. As I've seen in you file, you've been with us for a long time and should have known…" Ludwig let his sentence hang, eyes narrowing at the blonde in front of him.

Ivan looked away, annoyance etched all over his face. "Of course."

Ludwig quickly swooped forward and opened Ivan's file, looking over the account the money was coming from. "Mr. Braginski, you wouldn't mind me asking why you're transferring so much money, would you?" Ludwig looked up, watching Ivan's expression.

The Russian perked, smiling faintly. "Oh, Miss Rosery has quite the gambling problem. Why, we played poker a few weeks ago and she, as you can see, lost just about everything in that account. I had a flush; wasn't even fair." He laughed quietly. "But, if you don't believe me, I think she's coming in later today, da? Ask her then…"

Ludwig nodded and closed the folder, checking the time. Just around four. He looked back at Ivan and held out his hand. "Of course, I'll confirm it with her later today. You'll be notified if the transaction goes through."

Ivan looked stood; looking at Ludwig's hand like it was a threat. "When, Mr. Beilschmidt. When the transaction goes through."

Ludwig smiled stiffly, withdrawing his hand. If Ivan wasn't going to attempt polite formality, neither was he. "My bad. If you'll excuse me, I have to prepare for Miss Rosery's visit." He turned his attention to Ivan's file, listening as the Russian carefully navigated his way out of Ludwig's office, shutting his door with a sharp click.

Ludwig didn't trust Ivan. The sum he was draining from Miss Rosery's account was suspicious, especially for just winning a hand of poker. But, if Rosery was coming in to confirm the transaction, she either was a very bad gambler or she and Ivan had some sort of arrangement. Ludwig didn't have to wait long until Rosery arrived.

Alicia Rosery looked rushed and slightly upset, whether or not she was angry or depressed was up for speculation. Her blonde hair was pulled up into a messy bun, and she wore a simple blouse and pair of jeans. She had little or no makeup on, and she scowled as she sat down in front of Ludwig. Rosery's cold blue eyes surveyed Ludwig and his office, giving an unimpressed sigh.

"Alicia Rosery." She snapped finally, crossing her legs. "I just need to know if anyone is planning on transferring my funds." Ludwig felt slightly affronted at Alicia's rudeness; he didn't introduce himself and merely pulled out the lady's file, sliding it over to her. Alicia sighed and wearily rubbed her eyes, looking terribly tired as she picked up the file.

Ludwig felt himself sorry Alicia, though somewhere at the back of his head he told himself she deserved losing her assets if she gambled with such high stakes. "Mr. Braginski told me that you were aware of the transaction and that you were coming in to confirm—"

"I'm not confirming shit!" Alicia hissed, eyes narrowing. She tossed the folder back on Ludwig's desk, standing up. She looked torn for a moment, biting her lip. "Tell him if he wants to take my god damned money, he can shoot me and rewrite my will. Don't let him _near_ my money, or so help me I will sue your company till the only suit you can afford is the one you steal from a groom!" Ludwig was rather lost on the threat, but the intent was clear: Alicia defiantly was not okay with whatever Ivan was planning.

"I understand. I'll call the authorities if you wish, to make sure…" Ludwig trailed off, watching Alicia's agitated reaction. She showed all the signs of indecision; she paced in small circles, muttered to herself and cast Ludwig angry glares. Ludwig was almost amused that he had seen Alicia's reaction several times before, on all different walks of people.

"No. This is just a disagreement among friends. I can't lose Braginski, even if he wants to lose me. Just…" Alicia sighed and stopped pacing. "Don't transfer anything. Confirm everything with me, even if he has my signature, okay? I have to go." She turned on her heel and left Ludwig's office as fast as she'd come. What an odd person, with an inordinate amount of cash Ivan wanted…

Ludwig walked through the evening commuter traffic, thankful that his bulk warranted a wide berth on the sidewalk. Ludwig walked quickly, wanting to get home and start on his paperwork. If he finished quickly enough, he could possibly clean up the house. And, perish the thought, Ludwig could perhaps _relax_ and read a good book. It was rare, but it happened. Even with the whole Braginski-Rosery mishap that Ludwig would have to smooth over, it was possible that Ludwig could have an hour to himself. He had just bought an interesting book on Economics and he was dying to read it.

Ludwig was actually excited that Gilbert was going to be out. As fond of Gilbert Ludwig was, his older brother was annoying, and doing anything required ten times the normal amount of effort just making sure Gilbert did was he was supposed to. The issue, of course, of his older brother off having fun was the fact that Gilbert would come home completely and utterly drunk.

… You win some you lose some.

Ludwig was so preoccupied with his thoughts; he almost missed the corner where the auburn haired man stood. Ludwig looked up, remembering where he was and who he constantly day dreamed about, feeling excitement heat up his face. Ludwig caught sight of him and felt his breath catch in his throat.

He was absolutely stunning today. He stood, leaning against the stop sign with the upmost ease. The cloudy skies did nothing to diminish the man's shining auburn hair; in fact he was the brightest thing on the street. Somehow, his oversized sweatshirt only added to his charm. Ludwig was shocked, and felt himself slow when the man suddenly looked up and locked eyes with him. Oh… Ludwig would do anything to just go over there and _talk_ to that man. To understand who he was… It wasn't natural to be so enthralled by someone whose name you didn't even know.

But, of course, the auburn haired man looked away. Ludwig realized he had all but stopped walking, and that passing people were giving him strange looks. Ludwig flushed and hurried around the corner, trying to forget the embarrassing moment. Ludwig's mind wouldn't rest until he decided that tomorrow he would talk to the auburn haired man. Yes, tomorrow he would finally talk to that radiant yet frustratingly curious man.

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><p><strong>Oh mien golly. So much for omake, more like a new chapter. :I <strong>  
><strong>Really. This is one of the biggest chapters so far. I got carried away.<br>**

**Anyways, I plan to update one of my other fics, maybe a second, then work on a story for a friend. :D So, not really sure when I'll update next. In the meantime, I think I'm looking for a beta. Like... Yeah. Message me. :D?  
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**I love all your love, by the way. It never ceases to amaze me people like my writing. In response to some of your reviews, the name Bob was showing that Feli cares enough about Ludwig to attach a personal name to him. I shall try to update weekly. And indeed, Vogel Banking has a German reference. Thank you for catching that! XD**

**Thank you so much for reviewing and stalking! I read every review, seriously, even if I don't respond. I love you guys! :D  
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**Oh, the next omake has been already decided upon... We'll finally meet Iggy, if you catch my drift.  
><strong>

**Review and get pancakes!  
><strong>


	4. Chapter Four

The next day, Feliciano shifted from foot to foot, getting impatient waiting for Yao to get back from the city. It was almost five forty-five, and Feliciano had long since lost feeling in the tips of his fingers. It was odd, though; usually Yao would announce if he was going to stay late in the city, so Feliciano could head back over to Alicia's House early. Yao hadn't mentioned anything to Feliciano earlier that day.

"Maybe he told me and I just forgot…" Feliciano breathed, feeling dread start to bubble in his stomach. "I've done that before… Ve…" Feliciano began to panic, as different scenarios began to run through his head. Maybe Yao had been kidnapped, or was lying in an alley way somewhere, bleeding out because someone hadn't wanted to pay him. Feliciano felt tears begin to form around the corner of his eyes, and he let out a little whimper. Suddenly, a gentle hand touched Feliciano's shoulder, and he whipped around, letting out a, "Oh, please don't hurt me!"

There, in front of him however, stood a bemused Yao. "Are you okay? You could have went back…" He eyed Feliciano. "Sorry for not telling you I was staying out late. It… Was unplanned and I—"

Feliciano wrapped his arms around Yao's neck, sobbing in relief. "Oh I thought you were _dead_ or kidnapped or—or—and then I thought maybe you had told me and I had forgotten, and that I'd have to run and get Alfred or—" Feliciano released Yao and held him at arm's length, tears drying. "Are you hurt? Where were you?"

Yao laughed and rubbed the back of his neck, shaking off Feliciano's hands. "I… I'm sorry. I didn't think you'd be this nervous." He held up a book, which Feliciano took and began to flip through, giving Yao a smile. He shouldn't get so worked up… Yao was able to take care of himself.

"You went to buy a book?" Feliciano asked, curious. He tried valiantly to decipher the Chinese it was written in, but to no avail. "It took a really long time for you to buy a book… But, you probably had to go a long ways to find one in Chinese, huh? What's this…?" Feliciano flipped to the very front of the book, where a message was written in a vivid red. Feliciano only had time to read the first line before Yao snatched the book back, huffing.

"Come on then," Yao said, turning down School Street and beginning to walk, "I'm freezing and I want to be back in time to have a shower with the last of the hot water." Yao quickly left Feliciano behind, speed walking away.

Feliciano let out a squeak and followed Yao, jogging to catch up. The pair didn't talk much as they headed back to Alicia's House; Yao was already thumbing through his book, letting out an occasional mew of interest, and Feliciano was dwelling on the message in the beginning of the book. He hadn't been able to read much, but Feliciano had been able to see the introduction line, which had stated in loopy scrip: 'Hello, Yao-Yao~' Feliciano wondered with a fiery passion who Yao was close enough with to be addressed as 'Yao-Yao.' Of course, Feliciano would never ask Yao; the black haired man would probably just mutter something cryptic and then refuse to talk.

Feliciano sighed, shaking his head. The book was going to bug him for the rest of the day… "What's it about?" Feliciano asked suddenly, bumping shoulders with Yao, sending him a lopsided grin. When Yao looked at him, confused, Feliciano continued, "The book." He pointed at the page Yao was currently reading.

Yao looked down distractedly. "Oh… It's about Chinese myths and legends. It's quite a collection of stories too. Some I've never even heard of. Maybe I can read some of them to you, if you'd like…" He continued to read, glancing over at Feliciano and smiling.

Feliciano clapped his hands, skipping in front of Yao. What an interesting gift. Feliciano made a mental note to search for a book of fairy tales. Feliciano absolutely loved the sappy 'prince saves the day' theme; he was just sappy like that. "Oh! That'd be awesome! Is there any in there about some of those dragons? Or how about those little gnomes that try to—"

"_There_ you two bastards are!" Came a hot, angry tone. Feliciano looked up sharply, realizing he and Yao had arrived at Alicia's Place without realizing it. It was a rather inconspicuous little restaurant, with two large windows displaying the clean but cheap inside. And unlike most of the small businesses in the seedy part of town, it was one of the only store fronts without a large sign announcing sales to draw people in. Feliciano had to respect that fact; however low on money Alicia's Place got, the prices never dropped.

"I thought you'd been fuckin' kidnapped by a pervert." Lovino marched over to Feliciano from where he had been waiting by the entrance of Alicia's Place, snapping the younger brother out of his thoughts. "You could tell me when you were planning to come back an hour late." He hissed, angrily pushing his bangs out of his eyes.

Feliciano hugged his brother, laughing. "Aw! You didn't have to be worried over me, Lovi! I was just waiting for Yao, right?" Feliciano looked over for Yao for support, only to find he had slipped inside while Lovino was ranting. Feliciano could only look back at his brother and smile innocently, trying to ignore the fact that his brother was very unimpressed with Feliciano's cover. "Well… I was."

Lovino snorted and rolled his eyes, turning away from his younger brother. "Yeah, whatever. If you're going to stay late tryin' to make more money, you can tell me." Lovino snorted and shot his brother a look. "After all, who are you trying to impress?" Feliciano scowled at his brother. For whatever reason, Lovino always assumed the worst about Feliciano. Such a pessimist.

Lovino pulled Feliciano inside Alicia's Place, breathing on his hands to warm them up. He shot Feliciano another look, frowning. "Elizabeta was bugging me about you, and she made me stand outside and wait. I wasn't worried about you. So don't… keep on thinking I was. You always do…" Feliciano just shrugged, taking out the money he had earned that day. If Lovino was going to be defensive over his love, Feliciano wasn't going to push him.

Feliciano eyed his wad of money, mentally adding up what he had made that day. It wasn't much, around two hundred dollars, and by the time Chez was done taxing Feliciano would only be left with around twenty dollars; if he wanted to take a shower, Feliciano would have to give Chez an extra ten dollars. It was the same deal with every one of the workers at Alicia's place. They would get ten percent of what they made each day and were allowed to save it. However, at the end of the month there was a rent due for the room each person stayed in, which devoured most people's savings. The workers got just enough money to buy personal knickknacks to keep them satisfied, but never saved enough to actually escape the prostitution business. When Lovino had found this out, he had hid money before turning it in for over a month, making plans to hitch a ride to a small country town. Lovino had been in the process of trying to convince Feliciano to join him when Alicia had found out. She had ordered Chez to beat Lovino to the edge of his life and take every last penny Lovino had saved. It'd been a lesson for everyone at Alicia's Place.

Feliciano walked slowly over to Chez, who collected the money at the end of each day. Feliciano let out a disappointed sigh as he handed over the cash, watching the money he had rightfully earned with his body given to his very enslaver. Chez gave him a sympathetic look as he sorted out the twenty dollars and handed it back to Feliciano. Feliciano noticed that Lovino had followed him, watching the exchange with a mild look of disgust on his face.

"That's why I travel by car." Lovino said dully, turning his head away. Feliciano wasn't sure if Lovino was talking to him or Chez, but he seemed to be making a point. "Four hundred and fifty dollars in one day. I can at least buy myself a shower without going broke…" He turned away, motioning for Feliciano to follow. "Honestly, Feli, don't give that guy any more kind, personification than needed. He doesn't deserve it. He'd rat you out to Alicia in a second if you did something wrong."

Feliciano sighed wearily. "Yeah, he's super loyal to her. I don't understand why… He seems decent enough, don't you think? He has kind eyes…" Feliciano felt himself blush slightly at the look Lovino gave him. He tried to defend himself, "Expressive! Like, he wouldn't want to hurt you…" But he soon fell quiet.

"Are you _crazy_, Feli? Chez is a… I don't even want to put a name to what he is." Feliciano rolled his eyes at Lovino's statement. Despite his older brother's forced nonchalance, Lovino was really quite melodramatic. Feliciano turned his attention to Elizabeta when he and Lovino entered the kitchen, marveling at the smells wafting through the kitchen.

Elizabeta caught sight of Feliciano and grinned. "There you are! I saw Yao march through with some weird book and I was wondering where you had gotten off to." Elizabeta chirped happily. "Listen, since you and Lovino were the last to arrive back—"

"You bitch!" Lovino cut in, "I was here before Yao!"

"—Back inside the building, would you mind helping with taking orders a little later tonight?" Elizabeta waved her hand distractedly, seeming to be annoyed at the situation herself. "Alfred has to go and some supplies from a hardware store. Some ass came in and broke a chair, and we don't have and screws to fix it. You go upstairs and shower, or something. I'll call you when he leaves."

Feliciano grinned and mock-saluted. "Yes ma'am! I'd love to help. I'm the best at taking orders." He turned to Lovino, gesturing at Elizabeta. "You _are_ going to help, right Lovi?" Lovino failed to respond, looking at the corner of the kitchen, obviously upset that he couldn't laze around for the rest of the day.

Elizabeta smirked and crossed her arms, looking at Feliciano. "That's too bad… Who knows what weird pervert will come into night. Feli, he might grope you, or get the wrong idea and not pay! Or worse, he'll be handsome and he'll ravage you all night—" Feliciano began to feel uncomfortable with the way Elizabeta was talking. He was about to stop her, when Lovino beat him to the punch.

Lovino threw his hands in the air, letting out a frustrated squawk. "Fine! Fine, you harpy! I'll help tonight." He turned away and headed for the stairs, waiting for Feliciano to accompany him. "Just stop talking like one of those pornos you watch…" Feliciano passed Lovino on the stairs, but still heard Elizabeta's response.

"Stole them from you~!" Feliciano giggled, and Lovino hissed.

The brothers made their way to Feliciano's room at the end of the hall, Lovino barging in like he owned the place and Feliciano over to a small desk next to his bed. Lovino grabbed a book on top of the desk before flopping down on Feliciano's bed and flipping to the most recent dog-earned page. Feliciano, on the other hand, grabbed a battered sketch pad and stubbed pencil, sitting himself gingerly next to his older brother, flipping to one of the last blank pages.

"I think I'll have to go over to that little art store again tomorrow. I'm down to my last pencil…" Feliciano gazed sadly at his vertically challenged pencil and sighed. "I hope the prices aren't too bad… I only like the quality pencils, because the other ones smudge…" He looked over to Lovino, who was thumbing through his book at an alarming pace, for a response. When Feliciano got none, he continued. "Apparently, Tino got a new employee~!" This caught Lovino's attention.

"Oh, yeah. I waited for clients around there the other day and peaked in." Lovino went back to reading, leaving Feliciano looking at him expectantly. Lovino noticed Feliciano stare and sighed. "Well… to put it bluntly the new guy is fucking _scary_. Hell, even Tino seemed frightened of the guy. Crazy Ass Hair—" Feliciano laughed, looking up from his drawing he had started as Lovino talked.

"You mean Mathias?" Feliciano stuck his tongue out at his brother then continued to draw, waiting for the rest of the story.

"Er… Mathias, yeah. The names are one in the same…He went into the store and freakin' guarded Tino from the new guy. Mathias must have stayed there for at least two hours before that ghost guy he stalks marched in and dragged him away." Lovino rolled his eyes, flipping absently through his book. "Honestly, the only reason I stayed was to talk to Emil. He gets me coupons for you." Lovino finished blandly.

Feliciano laughed, glancing slyly at his brother. "Ah. That's why you were there. I was wondering how all those coupons ended up under my pillow! I thought it was the Coupon Fairy…" Feliciano shook his head, gazing critically down at his drawing.

"That's retarded." Lovino said bluntly.

For about an hour, the only sounds in room #7 was the sound of Feliciano's pencil, the pages of Lovino's book rustling and the older boy's snorts of disbelief at the story. When Elizabeta's voice floated down the hall to Feliciano's room, it caused both the brothers to jump, startling them out of the tranquil silence. "Boys~! Alfred's leaving now! Come down and help." Feliciano jumped up, throwing his sketch pad on his bed and tugging Lovino up, groaning with the effort.

"Lovi! You have got to lay off the pasta!" Feliciano chided, holding his brother's hand as he led them downstairs. Lovino clutch his book in the other hand, Feliciano noted with interest. "As cute as you look, soon I won't be able to pull you up from bed anymore!"

Lovino whipped his hand away, glaring at Feliciano. "Oh, so you think I'm fat now, huh? Well sor-ry, Mr. Size-Zero, if we can't all be toothpick thin sitting around all day long eating pasta! God, Feli." Lovino brushed the bangs out of his eyes and marched down the rest of the stairs, cursing in Italian and leaving Feliciano a little stunned. He had only meant it as a joke… Apparently, Lovino was sensitive about his weight. Feliciano should really _know_ that about his brother…

"Lovino!" Feliciano called after his brother, following quickly. "Come on, _Fratello_! I didn't mean it like that! Please don't be upset!" Feliciano reached the bottom of the stairs, whipping around to see that Lovino had already left the kitchen and went into the restaurant portion of Alicia's House. Elizabeta glanced up at Feliciano as he entered, frowning slightly.

"Oh, you know how he is." Elizabeta rushed over to Feliciano with an apron, tsk-ing slightly when she saw he was still in his day clothes. "Let him simmer for a little while and he'll cool down eventually. I think one of his clients mentioned his weight today." She hooked the apron over Feliciano's head, turning him around so she could tie it. "So don't worry too much, okay?"

Feliciano was mortified. He hadn't even known someone had said that to Lovino. If anyone _ever_ said something to Feliciano that… well, made him feel worse about himself, and then have his own brother tease him about it... Feliciano would probably burst into tears and lock himself in his room. Self-image was low enough at Alicia's House without being teased about it. Lovino would have to be apologized to!

Elizabeta finished tying Feliciano's apron and turned him around to face her. She handed him a small notepad and pencil to keep track of the orders and shot him a smile. "There won't be that many customers tonight—it's the middle of the week—so you shouldn't have to do that much. That's why I sent Alfred away today." Elizabeta gently pushed Feliciano toward the door. "Make sure your brother isn't strangling the cliental!" She called after him.

Feliciano walked out into the main part of Alicia's House, immediately spotting Lovino sitting at one of the tables near the front of the restaurant. Feliciano took a tentative step toward him, when three loud people opened the door and swaggered in. Feliciano stopped abruptly and watched the trio, grinning in amusement. One of the three, a pale man with a small canary on his head, called out cheerily,

"Oi! Shop keep! Where can I get a pint of beer for me and my friends? I've just had the worst car ride of my life and I need to drink the experience away!"

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><p><strong>Yay! Ten thousand words. :D Initially, I wanted to squish the original chapter three and four into one, but, yet again, it ended up being a filler. D: So... Yeah, I'm sorry.<strong>

**Anyways, disregard what I said previously about the Omake. I honestly don't know what I should do... So, like, comment, yeah? XD I was thinking about doing Yao and Ivan... ?**

**Still lookin' for that beta! :D**

**Thanks for all the new stalks and reviews! Thanks **Neelh**, **Kikigirl4321**, **Y**, a guest,** **and **invisiblemanda **for reviewing! See, now I'll mention you if you review! *Waggles eyebrows* Plus, you'll get half-moon cookies!**


	5. Chapter Five

Feliciano quickly settled the three men at a table, handing them all a menu. He observed them for a moment as they debated about waffles. One man was an albino, with pale hair that fell untidily around his face; the canary perched atop his head was not helping the albino with its continued clawing and flapping, creating even more knots in the already uncombed mess. One of the other men had blond hair that fell around his shoulders, and peppered his speech with French words, eyeing Feliciano appreciatively as he spoke to the Albino. The last man had tanned skin and bright green eyes, eagerly turning his attention to the menu and ignoring his two companions.

The Blond rolled his eyes at the Albino, also picking up a menu. He placed a small white box next to him on the table before snapping at Albino. "I am telling you, _mon ami_, this girl I met could very well do that with a waffle. Just because you aren't experienced enough in _l'art d'aimer_ does not mean fetishes like that do not exist! Honestly…"

Albino snorted, glancing at the front of the menu before pushing it toward the edge of the table, not even feigning interest in ordering food. He turned his attention to Feliciano, who straightened and grinned at the man. "Hey, Sweet-Cheeks, I'll have the largest pint of beer you offer. My lying friend here," Feliciano assumed Albino meant Blondie, "will have the best bottle of wine and Antonio'll have—"

Green Eyes, or Antonio, looked up at Feliciano and tapped the menu. "It didn't say if you had martinis! You do, don't you? Because I have been dying for one!" Feliciano laughed, liking Antonio immediately. Blondie was eyeing Feliciano with an odd predatory glint in his eyes, while Albino was absentmindedly playing with the canary. Antonio was the only one who seemed amiable enough to chat with Feliciano.

"I'm sorry! We don't have martinis. I think we might have some orange soda, and I could mix that with vodka…would that be close enough? I've never really had a martini so…" Feliciano shrugged his shoulders, hoping Antonio would pick another drink. Blondie, however, interrupted Antonio's answer.

"Oh, 'Tonio will have chocolate milk. I believe I forgot to introduce myself!" Blondie stood up, his chair screeching backwards awkwardly, and took Feliciano's hand. "I am Francis Bonnefoy." He winked and kissed Feliciano's hand, "Baker extraordinaire! May I say that I think you are sweeter than any cupcake I have ever made…" Feliciano laughed and took his hand back, practically glowing in the attention. It was rare for anyone to waste time flirting when they could pay to get into somebody's pants.

Albino snorted and kicked Francis' shin from across the table, causing the Frenchman to collapse back in his chair next to Antonio. Albino smirked and leaned back in his chair. "Cool it, Pepe. We're here to celebrate, not to pick up boys." He glanced at Feliciano, who pouted slightly. "No offense…"

Feliciano shrugged, putting on a smile. Francis waved his hand in the air, chuckling. "Love, sex, celebrating…what is the difference? You have been celibate so long that you have forgotten_._ _Il ya une raison pourquoi je t'ai amené ici_...Honhohohon..." Feliciano noticed with some interest that Albino blushed, muttering something that sounded German under his breath and glaring at Francis.

"Fuck. You. I won't lose the bet." He glanced up at Feliciano. "Drinks, yeah?" Albino muttered, tipping back dangerously far in his chair and allowing his tangled hair to fall into his eyes.

Feliciano realized that he had yet to go and get the drinks, and quickly turned away, heading toward the kitchen. However, Lovino suddenly appeared in front of him, grabbing the notepad where Feliciano had written down the orders, frowning slightly when he caught sight of 'Chocolate milk' with the other two orders of alcoholic beverages. Lovino then darted into the kitchen, leaving a slightly bewildered Feliciano behind him. What was this about, then?

Francis called over to Feliciano, dragging him out of his thoughts. "Waiter~! You forgot to introduce yourself, _oui_? I think it is only fair, seeing that you do not have a nametag…" Feliciano bounded back over to the trio's table, muttering a hurried apology.

"Sorry! My name is Feliciano Vargas!" He grinned at Antonio and Francis, getting the feeling that the Albino's 'celibacy' forbid Feliciano to flirt with him. "I have an older brother—who's getting your drinks, his name is Lovino, but don't mention his weight." Feliciano wondered for a moment if he shouldn't have said that, but he pressed on. "I heard you say you were celebrating! What's the occasion?" Feliciano took the remaining seat next to Albino, leaning in.

Antonio grinned, throwing his hands into the air. "It's for me! I finally paid off my debt, so Francis arranged this little party and made me cupcakes. He saw this place walking to his bakery and—here we are! It's really nice, especially for this side of—oh, our drinks!" Feliciano looked up to see Lovino with the tray of ordered drinks.

Feliciano quickly hopped up and distributed the drinks with Lovino, sitting back down when they were finished. Lovino turned to go, but Antonio casually leaned back in his chair and caught hold of Lovino's shirt. "Hey~ Lovino, right? You can join us for drinks!" Feliciano winced, waiting for his brother's inevitable reaction.

Lovino whirled around and slapped Antonio's hand, growling. "Listen, you Mexican or Spaniard or Cuban or—or whatever! I don't want to flirt or screw or whatever the fuck you consider celebration to be. I will continue to make you drinks or serve you, but _none_ of you…" He glared around the table. "...will _touch_ my brother, or there will be _hell_ to pay. Pay for me, ya hear?" Feliciano stared at his brother, stunned. Obviously, Lovino didn't like that there was no reply and he blushed with either rage or embarrassment…Lovino's hue for both was the same shade. "Fuck you guys! You can make a martini with lemonade!" His face darkened more and he practically ran away to a corner table, returning to reading his book.

Antonio nursed his hand, looking at Feliciano with confusion. "What's wrong with him? I just offered…" Antonio looked over at Lovino, face twisting into a cute little frown that reminded Feliciano of Lovino. "Why did he get so nervous?" He glanced at Feliciano for explanation.

Feliciano sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, shrugging. "I don't know…he just gets like that sometimes. Really, he's been touchy lately, so don't take it personally." An awkward silence fell over the table. Antonio's eyes were still trained on Lovino, and Francis didn't know how to respond to a furious Italian. Finally, Albino cut it, smirking.

"I'm Gilbert. Listen, I don't want to state the obvious, but your brother is a bit of a bitch. Now," he poured himself a glass of beer and took a sip before continuing, "I came here to celebrate and eat Antonio's god damned celebration cupcakes. Francis…" Gilbert nodded to the blonde, tipping back in his chair as he nursed his drink. Feliciano's attention was drawn back to Francis as he pushed the small white box into the center of the table.

The box was small and unimposing, with a neat script announcing the store it came from. As soon as Feliciano's eyes alighted on the box, he let out an excited squeal. "Oh! I walk by that store every day! It's that ice cream place that sells hot chocolate!" Feliciano turned excitedly to Francis, "You work there? What do you sell in the winter?" Feliciano thought he saw a flicker of annoyance cross flash across the blonde's face, but it quickly passed.

"Oh, we sell pastries and hot chocolate, _mon cher_." Feliciano noticed Gilbert giving Francis a strange look, but ignored it and prodded at the box. Francis pushed Feliciano's hands away and undid the small string bow at the top, allowing the walls of the box to fall away. Inside stood three of the cutest cupcakes Feliciano had ever seen.

Each cupcake was obviously meant to represent the trio that now sat with Feliciano. Each one had the face of one of the three done up expertly in frosting. One cupcake had brown frosting representing hair, and the face had closed eyes and a dopey grin on its face and held a flower; Antonio. Another had golden frosting and the face appeared to be sipping a bottle of wine; Francis. Finally, the last cupcake had pale grey frosting, red sprinkles for eyes, and a small yellow bird on top of its head; Gilbert.

Francis grinned and plucked his own cupcake from the box, twirling it around and examining it. "Only the best from_ Kuchen Cakes_!" Francis chirped happily. "It's a new thing I'm trying to get my boss to try out." He explained to Feliciano, "Customers would give us a picture and we'd make a cupcake version. My boss and I made an example or two." Francis glanced at Gilbert. "Roderich made yours."

Feliciano picked up Antonio's cupcake, laughing. "Oh, wow! I'd totally buy one of these. You have to show me how to do the frosting! I love baking." Feliciano tried handing over the cupcake to Antonio, but he shook his head and refused to take it.

"No, it's okay, Feli! You can have my cupcake. I've already eaten enough pastries from that store for two lifetimes." Feliciano let out a delighted squeal as he dug into cupcake-Antonio. Francis daintily ate his, watching Gilbert with mild disgust as the albino gobbled up his. When Feliciano was finished with cupcake-Antonio, he gazed sadly at the paper that remained.

"I almost feel bad for eating you, Antonio…" Feliciano murmured, glancing over at the older man. "I hope you aren't angry with me. You tasted really good…" Feliciano heard Lovino snort with either amusement or distain over in his corner, and Francis gave Antonio a cheeky look. Feliciano, bemused, smiled and looked at Francis, "You don't have anymore, do you…?"

Francis shook his head, but grinned sneakily. "Oh, not now. We only came here to… how you say, have a few drinks, _oui_? But, you may certainly come over to my place and have a few… _private_ cupcakes…" Feliciano tilted his head, while Lovino in the corner let out a sharp yelp.

"Oi! He doesn't _want_ any of your small private cupcakes," Lovino snapped, putting his book down and glowering at the trio. Feliciano sighed and rolled his eyes, annoyed at his brother. Feliciano wouldn't mind going to Francis' house; cupcakes this delicious at this time of night could only be found so many places…

Francis stared evenly back at Lovino, making him hide behind his book and blush. "You, _mon ami_, need a good cupcake. It is probably the only way for you to lighten up and have fun, _oui_?" Francis turned hotly away, rolling his eyes and smiling at Feliciano. "Though, he is probably right. It would be better for business if you dropped by the bakery. What time do you get off work…?"

Feliciano grinned. "Oh…around five. I'll definitely come by! Make more of those people-cupcakes." Feliciano paused for a moment, unsure whether or not he should ask his next question. "Would you possibly make one for—of—me?" Feliciano blinked hopefully as Francis thought over the matter. Finally, he shrugged and smiled.

"I do not see why not…" Feliciano cheered happily, excited for tomorrow. Finally, he would be able to go into that cute little ice cream shop; he couldn't wait to tell Yao. "However, I am afraid that my friends and I will have to excuse ourselves. It is late and _two_ of us have to get up early…" Antonio rolled his eyes, and Feliciano guessed the joke was directed at him.

"Yes, yes, I like to sleep in." Antonio looked at Feliciano, "I'll come to the bakery too, if you like. Feel free to invite some of your friends, _sí_? Francis would love to flirt with some of your handsome friends~" Antonio laughed and pulled out his wallet. Francis mimicked the action and threw a ten dollar bill down on the table. Feliciano watched as each man threw down tens, paying about five times more what their drinks cost in the competition of manliness. Gilbert laughed and rolled his eyes when the duo finally stopped, glaring at each other before putting their wallets away warily.

Lovino instantly hurried over and collected the money before either Antonio or Francis could change their mind and take back the extra money. Antonio watched Lovino walk off with his money, looking almost disappointed. "Keep the change…" he called after the older Vargas before getting to his feet and pushing his chair in, waiting for the other two to rise as well.

Gilbert quickly stood up and headed out the door, calling over his shoulder something about starting the car to warm it up. Francis lazily stood and pushed in his chair, taking Feliciano's hand and giving it another flirtatious kiss. "Until tomorrow, _mon cher_." When a growl came from Lovino's corner, Francis released Feliciano and trailed after Gilbert, calling after him to slow down.

Antonio smiled absent mindedly as he rocked back and forth on his heels, obviously waiting for the car to warm up. He blinked suddenly and turned to Feliciano. "I own that plant store down on 23rd street. If you ever need to visit…" Antonio grinned and walked toward the front door, pausing on the threshold, "Bye Feli, bye Lovino~!" he called giddily before heading out into the night. Alicia's House seemed like a much duller place with the three men gone. Feliciano let out a little sigh before going to clean up the trio's table.

Lovino was already collecting the drinks when he paused and picked a card off the table. He snorted and muttered something under his breath, slipping the card into his pocket before carrying the glasses to the kitchen. Feliciano frowned slightly…now he would have to pester Lovino to find out why he had kept the business card.

Feliciano waited in the main part of Alicia's House for more customers, but only a sleepy looking man wandered in sometime later after the trio had left, and Kiku rushed out to meet the man and seat him. At some point, Lovino had brought out a battered chess board and he was now attempting to teach Feliciano to play. One thing Feliciano had to say about Lovino is that he was an awful teacher. Whenever Feliciano moved his bishop forward instead of diagonal, Lovino would have a mini-tantrum and remind Feliciano that bishops move diagonally, using the most vulgar language possible. By the time Lovino had Feliciano in checkmate, he was red in the face and out of breath.

It was when the brothers had reset the board and Feliciano had moved his pawn diagonally that Alfred burst through the front doors. Feliciano whipped around to face the angry blonde, frowning to see him gripping a box of nails angrily. Lovino moved his bishop, calling out to Alfred, "Find everything all right?" Feliciano raised an eyebrow at Alfred's reaction, wincing as he threw the nails onto a near-by table.

"No! No I did not! I had some punk ass British guy babbling on about not knowing the _brand of chair_ I needed the nails for! So he led me around his store and showed me every freakin' type of chair they had and expected me to remember by the looks of it!" Alfred waved his hands around, exaggerating his point. "So eventually he just shoved some random package of nails in my face that only took, like, _three_ minutes to get and said the store was closing!" Alfred finished his rant, panting slightly and blinking owlishly at the brothers. "I'm not even sure why I'm so upset, you know? He's just one of those _people_…" Alfred rubbed the back of his neck guiltily.

Feliciano ran Alfred's story carefully over in his mind, frowning slightly. "Um…Alfred, didn't you need screws, not nails? We can definitely use nails, but I think that's why it broke in the first place and…Ah…" Feliciano burst into giggles the look of complete incredibility on the blonde's face.

* * *

><p><strong>Hia! New chapter. <strong>**I'm afraid I've started school again, so updating will be slow. I swear to Glob I'll continue, though. I love you guys. :D  
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**Fun fact: midway through while I put in Antonio's '_si_' my Word Document turned Spanish. I started for about fifteen minutes at the word 'would,' trying to figure out out it was spelled wrong. Good times.  
><strong>

**Anyways, thanks so much for the new stalks! Especially thanks to** Brotalia**, **Foreign Language**, **invisiblemanda**, **SparklesinTheSun** and **Ciel Farron **for reviewing! Cinnamon buns for you! *Throws*(Almost at a hundred reviews!)**

**Lastly, thank the AMAZING_ SparklesinTheSun _for beta-ing this chapter... and the rest of the story! *Cheers* (Entire reason this didn't update at two in the morning)  
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**Translations: **

_Mon ami_ : My friend

_L'art d'aimer_ : The art of loving

_Il ya une raison pourquoi je t'ai amené ici_: There is a reason why I brought you here

_Oui _: Yes

_Mon cher_ : My love

**(Yeah, I don't know French.)**


	6. Chapter Six

Feliciano stood by his stop sign, happy that, finally, the day was almost through. Since yesterday, when Francis had invited him over to _Kuchen Cakes_, Feliciano had been anxious to go to the brightly lit pastry shop. He had had to suffer all day through twelve customers, and all Feliciano wanted to do was relax, have a cupcake, and talk with Antonio, Francis, and possibly Gilbert. Feliciano had already found out from Yao that he would be staying late, so Feliciano figured he had at least a forty-five minute excuse to visit Francis at his bakery without the other members at Alicia's House getting suspicious.

Feliciano checked his watch every ten seconds, realizing he must look like he had a twitch to anyone observing him. When five rolled around, Feliciano stayed just long enough to make sure Bob wasn't walking to his car that day before he quickly hurried off in the direction of the pastry shop. Feliciano slowed down as he approached the shop, marveling at just how cute the façade of the building was.

_Kuchen Cakes_ was painted a faded yellow, and was surrounded by a small iron fence that curled up to make different shapes out of the tips of each rod. Inside the small courtyard, there were numerous benches and tables that would house a good crowd during the summer months. There were also numerous pots that held flowers, but were barren with the autumn chill. A hanging sign simply had a picture of an ice cream cone and piece of cake to announce what the store sold. Feliciano wondered how he had never noticed such a quaint place amongst the urban backdrop. He was snapped out of his reverie, however, when a deafening crash sounded within the shop. Concerned, he made his way forward into the pastry shop.

Any charm within the building was quickly left unnoticed by Feliciano, all his attention being drawn to the odd scene before him. Gilbert was standing in front of a table with his arms outstretched in a protective fashion, his back to the yellow canary that usually sat perched on his head. In front of Gilbert was a brown haired man covered in flour and holding a rolling pin.

Once, Elizabeta had found a rat in the kitchen of Alicia's House. Panicking, she had grabbed her favorite weapon to combat the rodent—a frying pan. She then proceeded to run around the kitchen, bashing anyone and anything in her way in her attempt to catch the rat. In the end, it turned out that Alfred had bought a wind-up mouse and let it loose in the kitchen. When Elizabeta had found out, she promptly tackled Alfred and bashed him over the head with her frying pan, screaming obscenities.

For whatever reason, Feliciano thought that Elizabeta and this Rolling-Pin Man would get along if they ever met.

Feliciano slowly shut the door behind him, cringing when a bell rang. Francis, who was behind the pastry counter at the back of the store, waved jauntily at Feliciano before returning to whatever he was frosting. Antonio sat near the counter, too absorbed in the situation to either greet or notice Feliciano. Gilbert however, looking slightly desperate, latched on to the thin chance that a customer would distract the furious Rolling-Pin Man. Gilbert turned slightly to face Feliciano and smirked. "Hello, Feli. So glad you could join us."

Rolling-Pin Man, who was panting, turned to look at Feliciano. Feliciano smiled, nervous, and waved. "Ah…Hi, Gilbert. I'm sorry if I'm…" Feliciano surveyed the scene, trying to process, "Interrupting, something…But, well, Francis told me that I could come, so I waited _all day long_ to come, so I'm sorry if I didn't know it was closed, or that you're doing something with Rolling-Pin Man and I just figured that since Francis invited me it'd be okay for me to barge in here—which when you think about it probably isn't a good thing to think about virtual strangers you met yesterday…" Feliciano stopped for air, and realized with horror at the word vomit he had just sprayed on everyone in the room. Feliciano always tried to make a situation better by filling it with words, but...it usually just made things more awkward.

Rolling-Pin Man blinked and lowered his rolling pin. He adjusted his glasses, took a deep breath and faced Gilbert. "Gil, who the hell is this?" Feliciano thought that the nickname seemed a little too personal for the situation that Rolling-Pin Man and Gilbert found themselves in.

Gilbert slowly picked up his canary and replaced it on his head, sensing that the immediate danger of Rolling-Pin Man had passed. Gilbert then grinned and gestured proudly at Feliciano. "Roddy—"

"Don't call me that."

"This is Feliciano. I met him yesterday. And…Ah…" Gilbert seemed to run out of words, and turned to look back at Francis, who had stopped frosting and turned his full attention to the situation. "Francis, remind me again why Feli's here. It was because…" Gilbert tried to desperately yet covertly signal Francis to back him up. However, the Frenchman shrugged and continued to baker-ize behind the counter.

Feliciano coughed politely, walking a few more feet into the bakery to escape the cold draft by the door. "I ordered a cupcake. I came here to pick it up. Can I ask you a question? What flowers do you plant in the spring? Because I was planning on planting a garden next year and I need to know what flowers are good for the city's climate." Feliciano smiled kindly at 'Roddy,' hoping that the question appeased his distrust.

Luckily for Feliciano—and probably Gilbert—Roddy sighed and adjusted his glasses again, relaxing visibly. "I have the seed packets, if you'd like to see them. My name's Roderich. I own _Kuchen Cakes_, and Francis is my employee. Any inappropriate conduct you can report to me, and I will gladly reign in Francis for you." Roderich smiled lightly before heading toward a door in the back to get the seed packets. "God knows he tries to assault me, his employer. Who knows what he'll do to you."

The tension defused, Feliciano happily skipped over to where Antonio was sitting and plopped down into the chair next to the Spaniard, chuckling. "What was that whole issue with the rolling pin?" Feliciano smiled at Francis in greeting before looking at Antonio for an explanation.

Antonio leaned back in his chair, resting his hands behind his head. "Well, it's a long story, involving heaps of sexual tension and Gilbird…" Antonio motioned toward the door where Roderich had disappeared to, and where Gilbert was currently trailing after the bespectacled man. "Gilbert's bird decided to follow Roderich into the kitchen and knock an entire bag of flour onto poor Roderich's head. He grabbed the closest rolling pin and threatened to attack the bird unless Gilbert left the store." Antonio blinked and looked around the store, apparently remembering something. "Your brother didn't come? Aw."

Feliciano laughed and shook his head. "You wouldn't want Lovi here. He's always in a sour mood; he'd just destroy this place with all his negative talk." Feliciano noticed the slight look of sadness in Antonio's eyes, so he quickly changed the subject. "But why didn't Roderich just throw Gilbert out of the store after I introduced myself?"

Antonio's eyes flashed and he grinned. He pointed to the empty doorway where Gilbert had apparently disappeared into. "I told you: heaps of unresolved sexual tension. Roderich couldn't throw Gilbert out of the store any more than Francis can lay a hand on Roderich. It takes ages of observing them to realize that the only way any of us are ever going to calm down is to get laid." Feliciano grimaced at that; he knew perfectly well how people tried to calm down.

Finally, Roderich returned from the back room, noticeably lacking any seed packets. Feliciano was about to ask him why, when Roderich dashed away toward the kitchen, behind the counter. He called something over his shoulder about cleaning up flour, when Gilbert flew out of the back room. He looked slightly panicked and quickly rushed over to Feliciano's table.

"Shit, I completely forgot that the dinner is tonight! Ludwig trusted me to be there—fuck let me drop dish duty—and I'm over here freaking talking about seeds and I forgot to call that guy…" Gilbert's pale face flushed, and his canary fluttered on top of his head. "Oh, shit shit _shit_! That _gun guy_ is going to be there!" Gilbert collapsed into the chair next to Antonio and covered his face with his hands.

Antonio gave Gilbert a sympathetic pat to the back. Antonio explained to Feliciano, who was very confused at Gilbert's sudden grief. "See, Gil works at a bank and they're trying to get this really rich guy who owns a gun company to join their company. However, Gilbert tried to flirt with this gun man's…wife? Sister?" Antonio looked at Gilbert for confirmation, but just got an angry groan. "And Gilbert has to go to a dinner tonight to discuss investment plans…"

Francis leaned over the display counter to chime in on the conversation. "In gun man's defense, she was very pretty. I do not blame her lover for being so _jaloux_ …" Satisfied, Francis continued to work from behind his counter. Feliciano was surprised at how dedicated the easygoing Frenchmen was at froster-izing. "I am surprised you did not lose our little _pari_…"

"It was before. He was her brother…the sketch. And now I have to go to that stupid dinner thing and get shot because…" Gilbert went stiff, and he sat up suddenly, causing the canary to let out an angry squawk. He looked at Feliciano and smiled, red eyes flashing. Antonio, not noticing the albino's sudden descent into creepiness, casually checked his watch.

"Feli, when do you have to go home? It's almost six…" Antonio asked lightly, humming. Feliciano felt his stomach drop. He had completely forgotten how long he could afford to stay. Lovino and everyone else would be worried sick, and Alicia might be there and she might have Chez…

Feliciano hopped up, letting out a startled yelp. However, he couldn't just run away… That would be odd. "Ohmigosh I have to go! Listen, this was fun—even though I didn't eat my cupcake—but I have to get back because there's this curfew and if I don't keep it—" Feliciano stumbled over the next sentence, unsure what to say. Luckily, Gilbert held his hands up, smiling.

"Hey, Feli it's okay." Gilbert stood up, pulling his car keys out of his pocket. "You're in a rush. I can drive you if you'd like…" Feliciano almost fell over in relief. Not that the walk to Alicia's House was necessarily very long, but it was located in the bad part of town, and it was dark out. Not to mention, it'd be a freezing and probably rainy walk back. Feliciano could have kissed Gilbert.

"Thank you so much!" Feliciano cheered. "You have no idea how much you—" Gilbert held up his hands, grinning rather creepily again. Feliciano ignored this, though his inner Lovino berated and cursed him. "Bye Antonio! I'll see if I can get Lovi to come next time. Bye Francis, I'll drop by tomorrow to eat my cupcake!" Feliciano bounded over to the door, waiting impatiently for Gilbert to follow.

Gilbert gave his own goodbyes to Antonio and Francis and walked after Feliciano. Gilbert quickly called back over his shoulder, "Bye, Roddy!" Before ducking out into the cold night air after Feliciano. "My car's over here." Gilbert pointed to a small driveway that Feliciano hadn't noticed before beside _Kuchen Cakes_. Gilbert unlocked the car and quickly got inside, motioning for Feliciano to follow.

Feliciano twisted his foot, glancing nervously at Gilbert's car. He had absolutely no idea what type of car it was—but it looked fast and expensive. Feliciano had never been _near_ such an expensive car, let alone be allowed into one. It was sleek and such a blistering white that made Feliciano's eyes hurt. On the side of the car, painted in red, was the word _Gilsche_. Feliciano paused, wondering what in the world that meant. However, the car roared to life, startling Feliciano. He quickly got in, ignoring the fact that inner Lovino was cursing him and calling Gilbert a homicidal rapist.

Gilbert grinned and stroked the headboard of his car, his canary fluttering to perch on the rear-view mirror. "Isn't she a beauty? I begged my brother for _months_ to let me have her. Laundry duty for a year, and he finally broke." Inner Lovino shut up, because Feliciano had felt the exact same way when he received his first bike. How bad could Gilbert be?

Feliciano marveled at the car as Gilbert pulled out of the driveway and began to steer through the streets. It took Feliciano several minutes to realize that, in fact, Gilbert was going the exact opposite way as Alicia's House. Feliciano bit his lip and looked at Gilbert, watching as the albino confidently drove on through a completely unfamiliar part of town to Feliciano.

"Um…Gilbert? I'm pretty sure Alicia's House is the other way…" Feliciano glanced out his window, his eyes widening when he saw that the business buildings had morphed into expensive restaurants. "No, seriously. Gilbert." Feliciano turned back to the albino.

Gilbert laughed nervously. "Okay, so here's the plan. I don't want this guy to shoot my head off. If I blow this meeting, my brother will chew the rest of me that hasn't been pockmarked from a machine gun. So, Feli, what you need to do is simply…pretend to be my boyfriend." Feliciano stared at Gilbert, mouth agape. "No, see, then the gun guy won't…" Gilbert let out another laugh. "Trust me. I'm awesome."

Feliciano shook his head, and began to unbuckle his seat belt. "No, Gil, I really need to get home! Lovi will be worried sick and then Alicia—I'm not even wearing the right clothes. Gilbert…" Feliciano felt himself tearing up. Couldn't Gilbert have asked Roderich?! "I can't…"

"Listen, I'll pay you a thousand bucks." That stopped Feliciano short. A thousand bucks? For one dinner? It wasn't like Feliciano didn't like a good meal, but this wasn't remotely approved by Alicia, and she was probably already sending Chez to comb the slums for Feliciano's dead body. "Up front. I promise." Gilbert gave Feliciano a desperate look as he pulled into a parking lot. He cut the engine and faced Feliciano. "Please?"

Feliciano sighed, before nodding mutely. It wasn't like he could refuse and walk all the way home. "I… I guess. But, is anyone else going to be there?"

Gilbert laughed. "It's a restaurant. But I have a spare change of clothes that my brother left in the car when he picked up my dry-cleaning. You can change into that so you don't look so out of place. I'll stand guard outside." Gilbert jumped out of the car, pointing to the back where his brother had inevitably left the suit.

Feliciano jumped into the back of the car where he saw one of the most gorgeous suits ever made. It probably cost more than the entire combined salary of every Alicia's House worker for a year. Feliciano quickly changed, cursing the fact that he had neglected to pay for a shower yesterday. The suit…didn't fit at all. Gilbert was a good head taller than Feliciano, and was broader around the shoulders and chest. Feliciano had to roll up the sleeves several times, along with the pants. When Feliciano was finished, he examined himself, checking to see how he looked. The clothes even _felt_ expensive, like silk or spun water. The only thing that even hinted that Feliciano shouldn't be wearing the suit was his worn out old sneakers. It was jarring to see, and Feliciano jumped out of the car.

Gilbert laughed, looking Feliciano up and down. "Oh my god, those clothes are way too big." Feliciano felt any self-esteem that came with wearing the suit disappear, and all Feliciano wanted to do was run away. Gilbert quickly smoothed out his face, nodding in approval. "But, hey, it's better than what you usually wear!" Feliciano smiled tiredly, accepting Gilbert's rag-tag form of an apology.

Gilbert led Feliciano through the parking lot, barely giving Feliciano any time to admire the cars or the impressive architecture around them. Feliciano couldn't remember a time when he had to crane his neck to see the sky. People strolled by on the sidewalk, and cars still clogged the street like it was rush hour. It was everything Feliciano had experienced flipped on its axis and inverted. Feliciano almost lost his nerve again, but even if he had alerted Gilbert, there was no way for Feliciano to tell Gilbert over the loud nightlife.

When Gilbert finally tugged Feliciano inside a building, he almost cried out in relief. Gilbert gave him a thumps up before leading the way to the waiter who was in charge of reservations. Gilbert smiled easily, gesturing to himself and Feliciano. "Beilschmidt party. You don't mind if I bring my friend here, do you? Of course not."

Feliciano almost cringed at the snide look the waiter gave him. "I don't think he will be a problem. Follow me, Mr. Beilschmidt." Gilbert and Feliciano followed the waiter through the restaurant. It was one of the more casual super expensive eateries, where there was a general conversational buzz over the live band. Not everyone was in formal dress, either. Feliciano saw quite a few people who seemed to be in relatively normal clothes. The floor was a well-worn, polished mahogany, but the tables all had white table clothes and pretty champagne glasses. For a moment, Feliciano wondered how Gilbert could navigate between social classes so well. He seemed to Feliciano to be perfectly capable of gobbling down cupcakes then driving in his racing car to eat somewhere like this.

When the waiter finally showed Gilbert and Feliciano their table, it took Feliciano a second to stop gawking at his surroundings to actually focus on his company for the night. Feliciano took in the investor, as Antonio had said, and the man's very pretty sister. However, when Feliciano caught sight of the final diner, he froze. Sitting there, with every god of fate laughing at Feliciano in that moment was—

"Ludwig!" Gilbert exclaimed, laughing. "Oh, wow. You came."

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><p><strong>*Waves* Look! I'm not dead! :D Who's excited? So, yeah. High school was all like 'Rawr, homework! Clubs! Community service!' :( Me and my real life. Ugh. But, I made the chapter a litt<strong>**le longer! ****Finally, the rewrite is over. I have officially moved off into new territory. I really hope I'll be able to write the new chapter soon~  
><strong>

**A big thank you to all the crazy folks who stalk and favorite this story, and wait patiently for my updates. A bigger thanks to all y'all who commented. I can't tell apart the old reviews from the new ones, but I'll totally thank people in name next time! (Almost at 100 reviews!) To the lovely reviewer who was confused about chapter six, I kept adding new chapters instead of replacing them. So, to see the new chapters select the previous few. :D  
><strong>

**And thank the freakin' awesome **SparklesInTheSun **for beta-ing this. She makes the chapters ten times more fabulous, and makes sure I'm not dead. ****  
><strong>

**Translations:**

_Jaloux _: Jealous

_Pari_ : Bet


	7. Chapter Seven

For half a second, all Feliciano could do was stare. _Ludwig_. That was his name. After all this time. Ludwig, who must work at a bank. Ludwig, whose brother was an albino; the very same brother Feliciano was supposedly dating. Feliciano grinned and hopped forward, shoving his hand toward Ludwig's face.

"Ludwig!" Feliciano chirped happily. "I've heard so much about you from Gilbert." He laughed at the expression at Ludwig's face. "I think it's really sweet you pick up your brother's dry cleaning. My brother would punch me in the face if I asked him."

Slowly, the blond shook Feliciano's hand, shooting a pointed look at Gilbert. Gilbert's smile tightened at the edges, and he threw an easy arm around Feliciano's shoulders as Ludwig released his hand. Feliciano looked at the other two people at the table—Gun Guy and his sister—who were both staring at him. Feliciano gave them a little wave.

"Sorry we were running late—we even missed the appetizers." Gilbert sighed, shaking his head remorsefully. "Traffic and all that. But," He straightened, gesturing toward Feliciano, "This is Feliciano, my _boyfriend_." He emphasized the word, grinning at the Gun Guy. "Feliciano, this is Vash Zwingli, and his sister, Lili."

Feliciano smiled at the pair. "Oh, it's nice to meet you! Gilbert told me about you two, too!" Gilbert casually tightened his arm around Feliciano's neck, and Feliciano figured that he _really_ didn't need to add more to the previous statement.

"Well, it's nice you decided to show up, you and your _boyfriend_." Vash said, loud and brash. Feliciano felt Gilbert stiffen next to him, and he could almost see the spark of animosity pass between the two.

Hurriedly, Ludwig intervened, standing up. "I'll get us an extra chair. I only thought four of us were coming so…" Feliciano met his eyes, and Ludwig stammered for a moment before finally hurrying off to get a staff member to issue them a chair.

Gilbert snorted and released Feliciano, grabbing a spare chair from an unused table, plopping it down and sitting at the head of the table. Feliciano took the remaining seat at the end, with Lili sitting on his left and, when he returned, Ludwig across. There was a moment of tense silence before Gilbert finally snapped,

"So, Vash…" Gilbert tipped back in his chair, hands resting on his stomach as he surveyed the man. Feliciano hadn't even registered that Gilbird was still nestled in Gilbert's hair, but Vash was staring at the bird. "How did you come to hear of me and my brother's business?"

Vash crossed his arms, switching his glare to Gilbert. "Well, I thought he would have told you."

Gilbert's easy grin faltered and he furrowed his eyebrows. "What?"

Vash smirked, "Oh, Roderich invited me to one of your parties, telling me that I should invest." His small smile hardened into a thin line. "And then you tried to flirt with my sister."

Gilbert leaned forward in his chair, about to protest when Ludwig returned with a waiter, who had brought a chair. There was a moment of confusion as Ludwig stared at the extra chair Gilbert was occupying, before turning to the waiter.

"Just an extra plate, please." Ludwig requested, before returning to his own seat. Feliciano drank in Ludwig's features, thinking that he was much better looking at a dinner table than across the street. Blond hair gelled back, with intelligent blue eyes that darted nervously from Gilbert to Vash. Feliciano noticed that Ludwig's cheeks were slightly pink, but he might have been mistaken with the poor illumination in the building.

Ludwig cleared his throat, "So I guess we should discuss…"

"Not before I've had my beer." Gilbert interrupted.

Feliciano, not sure what his purpose was now that Gilbert was safe from being shot, let his eyes wander across the table. He tried to avoid looking at Ludwig as he argued with his brother, and finally his eyes landed on something he could occupy himself with.

There, open but not yet drunk from, sat a bottle of red wine.

Instantly, Feliciano grabbed the bottle and poured himself a drink, grinning. Lili next to him watched curiously, eyeing Feliciano as he took a large gulp to calm his nerves. Feliciano poured wine in her cup too, wondering if she was old enough to drink. She had blonde hair a shade lighter than her brother's, with the same blue-green eyes. She looked young, but Feliciano assumed that if she was old enough to be in business, she was old enough to drink.

"That's a very pretty dress." Feliciano said quietly, trying not to interrupt the other three men's discussion. He took another sip, gesturing for Lili to do the same.

Slowly, she picked up the glass, but didn't drink. "Thank you. I sewed it myself."

Feliciano's eyes widened. What a talent! Once, Elizabeta had tried to teach everyone at Alicia's House how to stitch, knit, and sew. She took an entire afternoon off, determined to pass the talent on so that the others could fix their own tears in their clothes. The most that anyone learned was how to make themselves bleed. Only Kiku and Feliks had learned how to do all three, and Feliciano had managed to pick up stitching.

"You _made_ that dress?" Feliciano exclaimed, finishing off his glass of wine. "That's incredible! I once tried to learn how to knit, but I kept getting the crossing and bringing around of the thread all messed up, and my scarf ended up looking all weird. How long did it take you?"

Lili looked down, smiling shyly. "It only took a week or two. I have trouble sleeping, so making clothes is what helps me calm down and get to sleep."

Feliciano whistled, pouring himself another glass of wine. He was feeling more relaxed with the wine settling easily in his stomach. "Only a week? I have this friend who would love to meet you. She has to fix clothes a lot, and I'd bet she'd kill to know how you sew so fast."

"I could give her a few tips." Lili admitted, adjusting a bow that rested in her short hair. "Maybe I could give you my number to pass along." She added quietly, "It'd be nice to have someone to discuss with…"

Feliciano laughed. "That would be great! Do you like to cook? Because—"

Someone cleared their throat, and Feliciano turned to find the other three men at the table staring at him. Feliciano smiled awkwardly, fiddling with his wine cup. Perhaps he had been speaking a little louder than he had meant to.

Vash raised an eyebrow. "What do you do for a living, Feliciano?"

Feliciano panicked internally. He had always been terrible at lying, but he couldn't just tell these businessmen that he was a prostitute. God, the looks he would get, the utter revolution they would feel. Feliciano could feel the seconds tick on, and he found himself staring at Ludwig as he fumbled with his words.

"I… I… I'm…" Feliciano could feel his face heating up, and he began to feel dizzy with anxiety. He knew he would let it slip—his brain couldn't think of a lie fast enough.

"He works as a counselor down on School Street." Gilbert, like a voice from God, stepped in.

"Yes!" Feliciano said a little too loudly, leaning forward on the table, smiling broadly. "I'm a _counselor_! _Of course_ I'm a counselor. You, you..." He took a sip of wine, looking around the table. He laughed nervously. "Vash! You sell guns, right?"

Both of Vash's eyebrows were now raised, and he gave Feliciano a wary look as he answered. "… Yes. My sister and I co-own a line of Swiss craftsmanship guns. We export mainly to Europe, but we've recently opened stores in America. However, we were looking to invest our stocks, but I'm questioning whether or not—"

Just then, the table's waiter stepped up, interrupting Vash. "Would you like to hear our specials, or are we ready to place an order?"

Feliciano grinned, looking forward to the meal. Ludwig and Gilbert ordered 'their regular,' and Vash ordered for himself and Lili. The waiter turned toward Feliciano expectantly, and Feliciano realized he had absolutely no idea what was on the menu. He shrugged his shoulders and smiled up at the waiter.

"Pasta."

The waiter stared blankly at Feliciano. "A… Any specific pasta, sir?"

Surprisingly, Ludwig cut in, facing the waiter in a huff. "He ordered pasta. Bring him pasta. Also, another bottle of this wine." He nodded toward the bottle of wine that Feliciano hadn't even realized he had continued to drink from, and which was now almost empty with the help from Vash. Gilbert and Ludwig had chosen to drink beer instead.

"Yes, sir." The waiter nodded quickly and hurried away.

When the next bottle of wine arrived, Feliciano continued to drink and chat amiably with Lili as the other three discussed the stock market and who knows what.

"What hobbies do you have, Feliciano?" Lili asked, turning more in her seat to talk to Feliciano. She had finally started to drink some of the wine, and was slightly more relaxed as she spoke to Feliciano, but she was still very shy.

Feliciano thought for a moment, wondering if abstractly naming people counted as a hobby. "Well, I draw. Not professionally or anything, but I'm trying to get better, though the supplies cost _so much_." Feliciano noticed that one of the other three talking at the table stumbled slightly, but he ignored it and focused on Lili.

Lili's eyes brightened, and she turned to her brother. "Bruder, hast du einen Stift und ein Blatt Papier?" Feliciano worried for a moment how drunk someone had to be before they started hearing gibberish. He glanced down at his wine cup and gingerly placed it on the table.

Vash paused before pulling out a small pad of paper and pen out of his pocket, handing it to Lili. Lili thanked him before turning to Feliciano, shyly offering him the two objects. "Do you think you could show me?"

Feliciano blinked, and then laughed, taking the paper and pen. "Sure! I haven't practiced today, and they say you should always try to draw at least one thing a day, even if it's a doodle. What should I draw?" He asked, resting the pad of paper on his knee.

Lili blushed and shrugged, turning back to her drink. Feliciano bit his lip and began to work, deciding to draw Lili. It was difficult to do with such a small canvas, and when he was half way through the food arrived. Feliciano sighed and put down the paper on the table as his pasta was placed down in front of him. He figured he could finish when he was done eating, but Lili grabbed the paper just as Feliciano dug into his meal.

"Oh, no, Lili—" Feliciano cringed, slowly swallowing his mouthful of food. "Oh… This… this is horrible…" Feliciano stared at the plate of pasta, drinking down a gulp of wine to stave off the lingering taste. Was this restaurant supposed to be _gourmet_? Feliciano could make better pasta than that when he was _six_. Lovino would have smashed the plate of food down on the ground if he had ever been presented that.

Meanwhile, Lili was studying the picture as she picked at her food. "Feliciano, you're a wonderful artist." She looked up at him, giving him a tiny smile. "You should sell these."

Feliciano chuckled as he pushed his plate of food away. He was aware of Vash's and Ludwig's eyes upon him, and he shook his head. "Oh, no. Really it's just a pastime. I'd have to buy so much paint and canvases that really I wouldn't even break even…" He brightened, "But thank you for the complement!"

Everyone dug into their meals, and there was a lull in the conversation. Feliciano noticed that the restaurant was beginning to empty out, and he could feel a tired fog settle over his eyes. He looked across at Ludwig, who was determinedly avoiding eye contact.

Feliciano yawned, covering his mouth quickly. "Ah… Excuse me? Ludwig?" Feliciano was worried that the German might snap at him. All evening, Ludwig had avoided conversation and eye contact, and Feliciano assumed that Ludwig wasn't fond of his brother's new 'boyfriend.' "Do you have the time?"

Ludwig nodded quickly, glancing down at his watch. "It's 12:18."

Feliciano felt his exhaustion vanish in a flash of panic. "Oh! I have to get home! It's so late! Feliciano turned to Gilbert, frowning. "Gilbert, I _really _have to leave now." He tried to keep the desperation out of his voice, while at the same time trying to weigh the amount of trouble he'd get into versus the money he'd be receiving.

Vash pushed back from the table, nodding in agreement. "Lili and I also have to go. It's late, and we'll have to discuss if we're investing or not tomorrow. Thanks for the meal. Lili…?" He stood and helped Lili out of her seat, heading toward the door.

"Bye, Lili!" Feliciano called, grinning and waving.

Feliciano turned back to the table, drumming his fingers on the table as Gilbert and Ludwig stared each other down. Finally, Ludwig asked, "So, when did you and Feliciano meet, Gilbert?"

Gilbert laughed, slowly standing up. "That's a funny story, West." Feliciano followed suit, standing next to Gilbert as Ludwig rose. "See, it was a cosmic moment." He began to move toward the front desk, pulling Feliciano by his sleeve, with Ludwig trailing. "Our eyes met, and we knew—" He slowed, "Are you paying the tab?"

Ludwig straightened, "I thought we'd split."

Gilbert grimaced as they reached the front desk, turning to Feliciano, "I'll go get the car. You… stay… here…" He bounded out the front door, leaving a fuming Ludwig and confused Feliciano behind.

Feliciano began to follow Gilbert as Ludwig paid the tab, but he found that it had started raining. He didn't want to ruin Ludwig's expensive suit, so he found himself dawdling at the door. Feliciano felt someone behind him and whipped around, relieved to only find an awkward Ludwig.

"Do you think he left me?" Feliciano asked lightly, smiling at Ludwig sadly.

Ludwig coughed and looked away, shaking his head. "No, I don't think so. If he did, I could…" Ludwig didn't finish, sticking his head out of the door to look for Gilbert's car. Finally, after a seconds pause, he turned to Feliciano. "Do you dye your hair?" He asked loudly.

Feliciano frowned, staring up at Ludwig. Finally, the question and wine caught up to him at the same time, and Feliciano burst out laughing. "No! No I…" He giggled, holding his stomach. "I couldn't afford to!" Feliciano shook his head, smiling. He looked up at the mortified Ludwig, about to say something, when Gilbert's car pulled up to the curb, honking. Feliciano looked from the car to Ludwig, torn. "I hope we can see each other again soon, Ludwig." Was all he was able to say.

While Ludwig was stammering a response, Feliciano dashed out into the rain and jumped into Gilbert's car. As Gilbert sped away, Feliciano looked back toward the restaurant, and he could have sworn he saw a blond head poking out from the building.

…

Feliciano sat bolt upright in bed, gasping for air. It was still early morning, too early for even the sun to be up. Feliciano's head ached, and he felt groggy and faintly nauseous. He rested his head in his hands, breathing deeply.

It had to have been a dream. It couldn't… Feliciano in a suit, going to the most expensive place he's ever been to, seeing…

Something crinkled in Feliciano's pocket, and he looked down to see a wrinkled check half sticking out of the fabric. From Gilbert, his brain supplied helpfully. Feliciano fell back onto his bed, sighing happily. It had been real. Feliciano fell slowly back to sleep.

_Ludwig_…

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><p><strong>Hetalia: I own none of it.<strong>

**I... I did it! *Cheer* See, it's because finals are coming up, so I'll do anything other than studying.**

**A huge, amazing thanks to all the people who continue to ask me to update, suggest new ideas, and put up with my crappy updating habits. XD You'll never know how much you mean to me! *Sob* **

**Translations: **

_Bruder, hast du einen Stift und ein Blatt Papier?_ : Brother, do you have a pen and some paper?

**I love you all. ;-;**


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